Change-making machine



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M. LIPPE camera MAKING MACHINE Filed June 6, 1924 Patented June 12, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,673,366 PATENT OFFICE.

MARTIN LIPPE, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, TO HED- MAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A COPRORATION OI ILLINOIS.

CHANGE-MAKING MACHINE.

Application filed June 6, 1924. Serial No. 718,212.

The present invention relates to the class of machines adapted for discharging coins to supply desired amounts of change or for other analogous purposes.

6' Among other objects, the invention is intended to improve the coin holding, discharging and delivery features of such machines with a view of practicability of construction, economical manufacture, reliable operation, rapid delivery of change to the recipient, and convenience in the use of such machines.

The invention will be clearly understood b reference to one practicable form of 16 cl iange making machine containing an embodiment of the invention, which is shown for illustrative purposes in the accompanying drawings.

In said drawings:

Fig. lis a vertical cross section of the illustrative machine taken adjacent the rightli'and side thereof and looking toward the opposite side and showing the operating mechanism in side elevation.

Fig. 2 is a front sectional view of the machine, omitting the majorityjof the action elements of the operating mechanism in the lower part of the machine. This figure shows the coin tray in front elevation and the interior coin dischargin chute of the machine in longitudinal section.

Fig. 3 is a front elevation of the coin tray, with the upper portions of the coin magazines broken away.

Fig. 4, is a horizontal section of the coin tray taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a bottom plan view of'the coin tray.

Fig. 6 is a back view of the coin tray,

omitting the upper portions of the coin magazines.

Fig. 7 is a vertical'section taken behind the coin tray, showing the tray and tray-supporting means in rear elevation. This figure may be considered as a rear view. of the subject-matter of Fig. 8.

Fig. 8 is a vertical cross section of the tray and tray-supportin means taken through one of the points 0 suspension of the tray.

Fig. 9 is a front elevation of a sheet metal stamping for a coin magazine.

Fig. 10 isa vertical section of the coin tray and its supporting means,

7 taken through the magazine shown in Fig.

. base flange or flanges 5 extending under the .parts defining the floors, lower retaining the section being 9. A coin ejector and acoin bein ejected 1 thereby from said magazine are s own in elevation in this figure.

Fig. 11 represents a sheet metal blank from which the magazine stamping shown in Fig.

9 is made.

Fig. 12 shows the sheet metal blank for the back plate of the coin tray.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of a portion of the left-hand side of the machine with the coin delivery means extending therefrom.

Flg. 14 is a sectional elevation of said coin delivery means.

Fig. 15 is a cross section of the cup into which the coins are delivered, said section being taken on the line 1515 of Fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a cro$ section of said cup on the line 1616 of Fig. 14-.

Figs. 17, 18 and 19 are cross sections of the coin delivery chute taken respectivel on glge lines 1717, 18-18 and '19-19 of Fig.

The illustrative machine is equipped with a removable coin tray 1, comprising a row of coin magazines 2. This tray, appearing at the upper front of the machine, is mounted in operative relation to a set of devices 3 for removing or ejecting coins from the magazines.

A practicable'construction of the coin tray in sheet metal is shown 'in the drawings. 5 According P to this construction, the coin magazines 2- are formed by sheet metal stampings afiixed to and rigidly connected by a stiff sheet metal back plate 4 having a magazine stampings and interconnected therewith in such a manner as to brace, reinforce and secure in rigid relationship the walls and coin-discharge slots of ,the-magae5 z1nes.-

One of the magazine stampings is shown in Fig. 9. The sheet metal blank from which it: is formed is shown in Fig. 11; It

will be observed that the'stampings are of channel form, with the side walls thereof appropriatel curved or turned in at the front edges or retaining the stacks of coins contained in the ma zines. This construction permits convenient attachment of the magazine stampings to the back late 4, and fiatwise fitting thereof on the ack plate, contributing to rigidity of the tray structure.

It also provides magazines of adequately tubular character for retaining the stacks of coins, but having wide'vertical slots or openings at the fronts of the magazines for advantageously displaying the coin stacks therein.

The magazine stampings are formed at their lower ends with straight foot extensions 6 of the side walls for interconnection with the base flange or flanges 5 of the back plate 4 Immediately above these foot extensions 6 are inwardly curving side wall extensions 7, which provide front retaining walls at the lower parts of the magazines to insure adequate retention of the coins immediately above the bottommost coins during ejection of said bottommost coins. Such lower front extensions 7 of the magazine side walls are desirable where, as in the illustrative structure, the front display slots or openings of the magazines are comparatively wide.

As shown more clearly in Figs. 9 and 10, the side walls of the magazines may be cut away or tapered ofi' at their upper ends. as indicated at 8, thereby widening or flaring the front display slots or openings of the magazines at the tops' and facilitating the dropping of coins into the magazines.

Tabs9 cut in the coin magazine blanks (Fig. 11) are adapted to be bent to project from the backs of the magazine stampings to serve as attaching tabs for aflixing the magazines to the sheet metal back plate 4; the said attaching tabs 9 being inserted through slots or openings 10 in the back plate (Fig. 12), and benttightly upon the back of said plate to secure the magazines firmly thereto as shown in Figs. 4, 5 and 6. In Figs. 2, 3 and 9, the apertures cut in the backs of the magazines to provide the aforesaid attaching tabs are designated by the reference numeral 11.

Said back plate 4 is more clearly shown in Figs. 4, 6, 8 and 10. A sheet metal blank from which the back plate is stamped is shown in Fig. 12. In addition to base flange or flanges 5, the back plate is formed with a top reinforcing or strengthening flange 12 at its back, and with forwardly extending end flanges 13 (Figs. 3, 4 and 5), which strengthen the coin tray at its ends and afford protection for the end magazines when the tray, which is removably mounted in the machine, is being handled out of the machine.

The back plate 4 may be considered as having a single base flange, though actually, in the'illustrative structure, this flange is subdivided by cross slots 14 into a number of distinct flanges 5 (Figs 2, 4, 5 and 12). Said slots 14, arranged at intervals corresponding to the axes of the coin magazines, are intended to accommodate the coin-ejectors 3. They extend into the back portion of the plate, as shown in Fig. 6, and register with notches 15 cut centrally in the lower ends of the coin magazine backs (Figs. 3, 9 and 10). Said notches 15 may determine the elevations at which the ejectors may operate.

The said flanges 5 are provided with narrow or slit-like slots 16 (Fig. 12) to receive the foot extensions 6 of the coin magazine side walls, which foot extensions fit closely in said slots, preferably so tightly as to require forcible insertion, thereby firmly interconnecting the flanges with the magazine side walls andbracing the latter (Figs. 2, 3, 5 and 8). For a further purpose, which will presently appear, it is desirable to have the foot extensions 6' so proportioned that their lower edges will be protruding slightly and equally below the bottoms of said flanges 5 (Iigs. 3 and 6 In zrddition to the function of interconnccting with the magazine side walls, said flanges 5 in theillustrative structure are also utilized to support the coin stacks in the magazines, or in other words to provide the magazine floors or bottoms which in this in stance comprise supporting ledges 17 formed by adjacent flanges 5. As the flanges 5 are subdivisions of what is in effect a single flange, made by a single flanging operation of the blank shown in Fig. 12, the several coin magazine bottoms are precisely on the same level. The front edges of the supporting ledges 17 may be cut or curved inwardly, as indicated in Figs. 4 and 5, to allow the coins resting thereon to project beyond said edges, and to facilitate the dropping of the coins during ejection.

Slots through which coins may be discharged from the magazines are indicated at 18 (Figs. 1, 2, 3, 8 and 10). In this instance said slots are flanked by the foot extensions 6 of the magazine side walls and their vertical dimensions are defined by the spacing from the magazine floors or bottoms of the lower edges of the inwardly curved front wall extensions 7. A coin being discharged through such a slot is designated by the numeral 19 in Fig. 10, the coin being pushed by the ejector 3 which engages its rear edge.

Individual magazines may be adapted for discharging only the bottommost coins of the stacks contained therein, as shown in Fig. 10; or, depending upon the organization and requirements of the machine, certain magazines may be adapted for discharging two or more coins at a time, ire. the bottommost and adjacent coin or coins. If two or more coins are to be discharged from an individual magazine, the discharge slot 18 thereof is made of appropriate vertical dimensions to permit such discharge, and the notch 15 in the magazine back is out high enough to enable the ejector to engage the rear edges of the two or more coins to be ejected.

Assuming that the lower edges of the mag-'- azine foot extensions 6 protrude equally below the magazine bottoms, or terminate in substantially the same plane, the vertical dimensions' of the coin-discharge slots 18 may be established by making the foot extensions 6 for a given magazine of a .width equal to the thickness of the coinor coins to be discharged plus a standard dimension to allow for the thickness of the flanges 5, the desired amount of protrusion of said feet 6 below said flanges, and an appropriate amount of clearance. The vertical dimensions of the respective coin slots 18 may therefore be very conveniently predetermined in the cutting dies for the coin magazine blanks.

Moreover, with the construction described, the connection of the magazine foot extensions 6 with the baseflange or flanges 5 of the back plate not only braces the lower portions of the magazine side walls, which are subjected to thrust during ejection of the coins, but also braces said flanges 5 from the side walls and tends to protect the supporting ledges 17 from any displacement, and particularly from bending or the like by contact with external objects when the coin tray is removed from or being handled out of the machine. For example, if the coin tray is set down on its base upon a table or counter, the thrust incident to such action will be taken by the vertical side wallsof the magazines, through the foot extensions 6, rather than by the more readily bendable base flanges of the back plate. Thus the coin stack supporting ledges 17 are maintained in the same plane, and disturbances of the spacing of parts defining the coin-discharging slots 18 is avoided.

The ,provision of the ejector slots 14 extending across the magazine bottoms and through the lower ends of the backs of the magazines, permits the use of ejectors 3 in the form of narrow sheet metal pushers, which may be adequately guided .in said slots 14 and notches 15 in the backs of the magazines, at an elevation limited by said notches 15, whereby the ejectors will engage only the coin or number of coins intended to be ejected, as determined by the height of said notches 15.

It will be apparent that a coin tray such as illustrated and described, or embodying the substantial features thereof, combines the characteristics of rigidity and strength with simplicity of structure, and is susceptible of economical manufacture, the parts being formed from sheet metal by simple cutting and stamping operations, and being readily assembled by inserting the attaching tabs 9 of the coin magazine stampings through the slots therefor on the back plate, while forcing the magazine foot extensions 6 into the slots therefor in the base flange of the back plate. Moreover, such construction provides a tray of attractive design.

For removably supporting the tray in such' manner as to permit instant removal and quick replacement in the machine in correct arranged to engage an open ended slot 22 in the upper edge of the holder plate, the edges of said slot being rounded to allow the shank of the knob to find its Way readily into the slot. The other two knobs 23 and 24, shown arranged below and at opposite sides of the knob 22, are adapted to engage slots 25 opening into pockets 26 formed in the holder plate 20, which, like the members of the tray itself, may be stamped from sheet metal.

The tray may be quickly installed by placmg it over the holder plate, with the knobs 23 and 24 in the pockets 26, and then releasing the tray to allow the shanks of the several knobs to rest on the bottom ends of the respective slots. The heads of the knobs, engaging the back edges of the slots, hold the tray substantially rigidly and normally prevent its accidental displacement or detachment, though it may readily be detached by simply lifting it to disengage its knobs from the slots.

The tray of the illustrative machine happens to have the coin magazines for coins of larger or heavier sizes at the right of the tray, and in order to balance the weight the central knob 21 is accordingly shown to the right of the vertical center of the tray.

In the lower part of the tray-support or holder plate 20, which lower part may for purposes of economy be an attached strip 27 of thinner sheet metal, ejector guides 28 are provided, in this instance in the form of slots through which the ejectors normally protrude. The ejectors are yieldably upheld in engagement with the upper ends of said slots by the springs 29. The ejeetors are thereby held so related'to the tray and trayholding means that they stand always in position to be pushed into the ejector slots 14 in the bottoms of'the coin magazines, whether the tray is in place or otherwise; so that removal of the tray does not involve the 4 appropriate mechanism, such for example as that shown in the drawings, which is of the general type disclosed in the patent to Barrett, No. 1,247,618, dated November 27, 1917. In this type of mechanism,, the coin ejectors are respectively connected to and operated by a corresponding number of bell crank levers 30, only one of which is visible in Fig. 1. Said bell crank levers 30 are respectively connected by rods 31 to arms 32 on rocker-shafts 33. These rocker shafts are selectively operable by key-controlled means comprising a set of key levers 34 and draw bars 35 actuated thereby. Each rocker shaft 33 is equipped with one or more arms 36 disposed for engagement by a shoulder or shoulders 37 on such one or more of the draw bars 35 as is or are intended to operate the particular rocker-shaft. Thus the rocker shafts may be operated singly or in groups by various key -leve'rs. Actuation of a given key lever will accordingly effect discharge of a coin or coins from a selected magazine or group of magazines to supply the amount of change intended to be thrown by the particular key lever.

The coins discharged or ejected from the magazines drop upon and ride down an inclined coin slide 40, and are discharged through an opening 41 in one of the side walls of the machine casing and into an exterior delivery chute 50. Said inclined coin slide 40 constitutes the bottom of an interior discharge chute or receptacle 42, the front wall of which is provided by the front wall of the machine casing. To deaden the sound of the coins striking against said front wall, as they are being ejected from the magazines, said front wall may be interiorly padded with a sheet of leather 43 or other suitable material. The coin slide 40 is advantageously made as a separate sheet metal strip, fitted between the front and back walls of the interior chute or receptacle 42 and secured to lugs 44 on the back wall 45.

In the operation of the machine, a number of coins of different denominations may be simultaneously expelled from a number of magazines. It is desirable that the coins shall be delivered from the machine as nearly simultaneously as possible, or, in other words,;.

that the different coins thrown out by one operation'shall be delivered in assembled condition to the customer or recipient of the change. This action is promoted by arranging the magazines for the smallest and lightest coins over the lower end of the coinslide 40, or at the end of the coin tray nearest the discharge opening 41, and arranging the magazines for successively larger and heavier coins toward the other end, so that the heaviest coins will have the least drop and the lightest coins the greatest drop. For instance, in the illustrative machine, the two magazines at the left hand end of the tray \(Fig. 2) may contain dimes; the next three magazines may contain cents or pennies; and the last three magazines at the right hand end of the tray may contain, respectively, nickels, quarters and half dollars. This arrangement is advantageous because the heavier coins, dropping upon the elevated end of the coin slide 40, will slide down the same and out through the opening 41 at nearly about the same time as the lighter coins drop upon the lower end of the slide; while the lighter coins. having the furthest distance to drop, will thereby acquire such a momentum in proportion to size by the time they strike the slide as to cause them to travel down the slide and the extension or delivery chute 5O practically or nearly concurrently with the heavier coins.

To promote reliable and s eedy delivery of the coins, the coin-slide 40 is formed with a longitudinal channel 46 flanked by shoulders 47, the arrangement being such that the coins can have only two-point contact with the slide no matter what may be the relation of the coins as they ride down the slide; the width of the channel and of the shoulders 47 or the distances between the channel and sides of the interior chute being less than the diameter of the smallest coins. This arrangement minimizes friction either on the normal surface of the coin slide or if the surface is damp or corrodes or accumulates dust; and hence this arrangement promotes speedy delivery of the coins and overcomes the tendency of coins to hang in the chute by the effect of dust accumulation, rust or the like.

The exterior delivery chute 50, forming a continuation of the interior chute, is shown inclined downwardly and curved laterally toward the back of the machine for deliver ing the coins to a position convenient to the customer or recipient of the change (Figs. 2, 13 and 14:). At the delivery end of the chute is a barrier 51 to arrest the travel of the coins and cause them to drop through the opening 52. The chute is shown as of substantial right-angular cross section, with the bottom thereof of the same form and character as the interior coin slide 40, said bottom of the chute 50 being formed with the channel 53 flanked by the shoulders 54 (Figs. 17, 18 and 19). This formation, enabling the coins to ride down the chute 50 on two point bearings, minimizes friction and the retarding effect of dust, corrosion or the like, thus promoting speed delivery as already explained. On the ot er hand, the gradual deflection of the travel of the coins incident to the curvature of the chute 50 exerts a desirable retarding influence. Furthermore the inclination of the chute decreases toward its delivery end, as appears more clearly in Fig. 14, tending to check the velocity of the coins. By the time the coins reach the delivery end of the chute, they will be moving in such manner and at such rate as to insure dropping through the opening 52 or striking against the barrier 51 and dropping into said opening without overshooting or undesirable rebound- The coins are deposited in a cup 55. The bowl of this cup may be pear-shaped in plan view, as shown in Fig. 13, and semipear-shaped in longitudinal section, asshown in Fig. 14. Cross sections of the cup are shown in Figs 15 and 16. This formation provides a main cup portion or concavity 56 with a tapering chute-like extension 57, having an inclined bottom merging into the bottom of the deeper portion or main concavity 55 of the cup. The cup is disposed with its chute-like extension 57 under the discharge opening 52 in the delivery end of the chute 50, there being only a slight distance between said opening and the bottom of said cup extension 57, so that the coins delivered by the chute have a short drop into the cup. The said cup extension 57 serves as an auxiliary chute down which the coins slide into the main deeper portion or recess 56 of the cup, from which they may be conveniently removed by the customer or recipient of the change delivered from the machine, said deeper portion of the cup being shaped to permit picking up the assembled coins by the fingers The travel of the coins ejected from the magazines of the machine by the changemaking operation may be considered as comprising three steps, a high-speed step on the coin slide 40, a second step in the extension chute 50 at relatively high-speed until the coin is arrested by the coin barrier 51 at the delivery end of the chute, and then a relatively slow speed of travel from the rear higher end to the front deeper end of the cup to effect the depositing of the coins at the ultimate terminus without danger of throwing them out.

The cup is shown formed integrally with a peripheral wall 58 having cars 59 by which the cup is attached to a sheet metal base plate 60, the latter being attached to the bottom plate 61 of the machine casing as indicated at 62 in Figs. 13 and 14. The coin chute 50 may be formed as a sheet metal stamping having its inlet end formed with a flange 63 for attachment to the side wall 64 of the machine casing by screws 65 or the like" as shown in Figs. 2 and 13.

The several improvements described promote reliability of operation in the delivery of successive batches of change to customers during more or less frequent repeated operations of the machines; contribute to the production of a machine of convenient characv ter; and provide a practicable structure susceptible of economical manufacture.

Obviously the present invention is not limited to the precise details of construction, form and arrangement of the illustrative machine, since the same may be variously modified in accordance with the character, organization and requirements of diflerent machines. Moreover it is not indispensable that all of the features of the invention be used conjointly since they may be advantageously used in various different combinations and sub-combinations.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

'1. In a machine of the classdescribed, a coin magazine comprisinga sheet-metal body of tubular character and an L-shaped memher aflixed to the back of said body and hav-- ing its base flange underlying the lower end of said body and connected with the side walls thereof.

2. In a machine of the class described, a sheet metal coin magazine constructed at its lower end to provide a coin-discharge slot and having side wall foot extensions flanking said slot and having a bottom or floor rigid with the magazine back and bracing said foot extensions.

3. In a machine of the class described, a coin magazine comprising a sheet metal body of tubular character having foot extensions, and a magazine bottom rigid with the magazine back and spaced from the lower edges of the front retaining walls to provide a coin-discharge slot said magazine bottom being connectedwith said foot extensions and bracing the latter.

4. In amachine of the class described, a coin magazine comprising a sheet metal body of tubular character and a member of stiiier sheet metal secured to the back thereof and having a base flange. providing the magazine bottom; said magazine having front retaining walls spaced from said flange to provide a coin-discharge slot, and having side wall foot extensions flanking said slot and connected with the said flange.

5. In a .machine of the class described, a sheet metal coin magazine having bottom coin-supporting ledges rigid with the magazine back and connected with the lower ends of the magazine side walls; said magazine having front retaining walls the lower edges of which are spaced from said ledges to provide a coin-discharge slot.

6. In a machine of the class described, a sheet metal coin magazine having a stifl'ening back member; bottom coin supportingplate having a base flange; and a row of coin magazines the bottoms of which are provided by said flange; said magazines having foot extensions protruding through said flange.

8. A coin tray of sheet metal construction comprising, in combination, a back plate having a base flange; a row of coin magazines the bottoms of which are provided by said flange; said flange having transverse ejector slots dividing the same into coin-supporting ledges; said magazines having front retaining walls the lower edges of which are spaced from said flange to provide coin-discharge slots; and means protruding from the magazine walls through said flange adapted to sustain thrust applied to the base of the tray and thereby protect said coin-supporting ledges.

9. A coin tray of sheet metal construction comprising, in combination, a back plate having a base flange; a row of coin magazines the bottoms of which are provided by said flange; said flange having transverse ejector slots dividing the same into coinsupporting ledges; said magazines having front retaining walls the lower edges of which are spaced from said flange to provide coin discharge slots; and connections between the ma azine side walls and said flange bracing the parts defining said coin slots.

10. A coin tray of sheet metal construction comprising, in combination, a back plate having a base flange; a row of coin magazines the bottoms of which are provided by said flange; said flange having transverse ejector slots dividing the same into coinsupporting ledges; said magazines having front retaining walls the lower edges of which are spaced from said flange to provide coin discharge slots; and magazine foot extensions engaging slots in said flange.

l1. -A sheet metal coin tray comprising, in combination, a back plate having a base flange, and a row of coin magazines the bottoms of which are provided by said flange; said coin magazines having front walls spaced from said bottoms to provide coin-discharge slots and having side wall foot extensions inserted in slots therefor in said flange, said foot extensions terminating in the same plane, whereby the vertical dimensions of the coin-discharge slots may be predetermined in the cutting dies for the magazines.

12. A unitary coin tray comprising a rigidly united set of sheet-metal coin magazines having bottom coin-supporting ledges and adjacent coin discharge slots; said magazines having side wall foot extensions flanking said slots and interconnected with and bracing said lodges and braced by said ledges.

13. A unitary coin tray comprising a rigidly united set of sheet-metal coin magazines having bottom coin-supporting ledges and adjacent coin discharge slots; said magazines having side wall foot extensions flanking said slots and engaging slots in said ledges.

14. A unitary coin tray comprising a rigidly united set of sheet-metal coin magazines having bottom coin-supporting ledges and adjacent coin discharge slots; said magazines having foot extensions protruding through said ledges.

15. A coin tray of sheet metal construction comprising a row of magazine stampings and a rigidly attached back plate having a base flange underlying the lower ends of the magazine stampings and connected with the side walls thereof.

16. In a machine of the class described, a removable coin tray having knobs or headed studs on the back of the tray, and a holder plate to which said tray is dctachably aflixed, said plate having substantially quarter spherical pockets to receive said knobs and slots opening into said pockets 'and engaged by said knobs.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification.

MARTIN LIPPE. 

